Laeponia had felt a bit silly, leaving the training wing only to return less than an hour later — but she’d had the day off, and in lieu of actual work in the frustratingly lax Leoran schedule, she’d spent the majority of the morning keeping her skills sharp. Drenched in sweat wasn’t how she would’ve preferred to present herself to her… friend?
The General didn’t exactly have friends, not on Leora, and not necessarily the young Unsouled that greeted her with an enthusiasm that made even Laeponia smile to herself. It was a vestigial bit of prejudice, she had to remind herself, but to Laeponia, the Unsouled were easier for her to stomach than the human race. She found she neither resented nor felt sorry for them, instead allowing herself to feel a sense of kinship in feeling, well. Slightly cast aside.
Even that sentiment was unnecessarily dramatic when Laeponia was well aware of how important her appointment was to the Collective, so she shrugged the feeling off as she let her smile soften, crossing the threshold to greet Roz. “These are perfect — thank you for finding a few things to bring.” She didn’t know much about Roz’s life, but assumed most of the amenities they did have must’ve been modified to suit what society viewed as their deficiency.
Not one for small talk, because when was she ever, Laeponia crossed to survey the assortment of tech. The General’s personal energy core mana translator was a bracelet of twisted silver around a replaceable shimmering crystal, relatively simple but still far too ornate for the Venpalan’s minimalist proclivities — but she was certain the Leoran jeweler would’ve expired if she asked for anything plainer, so Laeponia had let it go. Regardless, it’d become a comfortable weight at her wrist Laeponia was now thoroughly used to, and she’d picked up on the channeling of energy into devices such as these with the swift acumen she picked up anything else.
Now, she allowed a light trickle of mana to slide down her slender fingertips, reaching towards a small tactical flashlight to flick the light on with a touch, and then off again. “Should we start with this today?” It seemed like the simplest option as Laeponia settled herself into the chair opposite Roz, quietly grateful they’d gone through the trouble to produce a table and chairs for today’s practice. Laeponia set the flashlight on end between them, pointed towards the ceiling, then slid the silver cuff from her wrist and set it in front of Roz with the same subdued smile. The more she got used to using the core and integrating it with her everyday life, the less comfortable she was with someone else using it, but the sentiment was filed away as ‘silly’ as Laeponia gestured towards the flashlight. “Just have a go turning it on and off a few times.”
Their cell phone chimed beside them, flashing the translated version of the general’s words on the screen. Although imperfect, it was enough to communicate by, especially when combined with Laeponia's actions. Roz picked up the bracelet from the table gingerly, attentive as ever as they handled the energy core. It wasn’t theirs, it wasn’t something they could afford on their own, and it still surprised them she would trust them with it—but more than any of that, it was what the energy cores represented.
This bracelet didn’t contain a true mana core, but it was the closest Roz would ever get. If Roz could afford one of their own someday, it would open up parts of Leora that they’d never thought would be theirs. They’d only tested it on small objects, like the ones littering the table now, but it felt monumental each time. How many times had they seen another Leoran casually light a flashlight like this one without even thinking? Other Leorans took that power for granted; Roz didn’t.
So Roz reached towards the flashlight next, just as carefully. There was a moment of fear—the anxiety that, somehow, they wouldn’t be able to do this either.
But, no. It didn’t happen as quick or as bright as Laeponia's attempt, but as they concentrated, the light flickered on and off. Roz’s face lit up in turn. They let out a surprised laugh, gaze locked onto the reedy beam of light. It was the energy core doing this, not Roz, but it was them, too. They could still feel the tingle of what they could only assume was the core’s version of mana in their fingertips, even as they broke their connection with the flashlight.
They resisted the urge to turn towards Laeponia and ask her some version of, did you see that? Their tentative connection over the energy core was enough that Roz had some idea of Laeponia's serious nature. “I feel like it’s getting easier,” they said, gently placing Laeponia's bracelet back down on the table. Roz gestured towards it as they spoke next, curiosity about life outside of Leora getting the better of them again. “Does everyone have these on Palaven?”